Anne Holland

How Not to Design a Website

September 21st, 2001

Of all the major online ad networks, ValueClick has the MOST ANNOYING site design. Go take a look if you want a textbook case in how NOT to design a site.

It starts with a value-less Flash intro (floating logos are not a benefit-laden marketing message) and goes downhill from there. The nearly 100% Flash site (a little Flash is all very well and fine, but having all the text wiggeling about just detracts from your actual message) is not designed to fit into the average business surfers’ 800×600 view. (Web designers so often forget that not all of us set up our monitors the way they like to.) Then when you look for contact information, it’s almost impossible to figure out how to get email addresses. The headline says, “call us or email us” and then the page lists nothing but phone numbers. I finally figured it out (there’s a little flash button in the upper left corner that changes the page to email addresses.)

Somebody needs to go to remedial site usability school. OK, rant over. Thanks for putting up with my temper!

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